Recognizing Love
by Jenny-Beth
Summary: Ginny and Draco fall in love and their story runs in a full circle. Almost DH compliant.


**Disclaimer: **If I owned it, neither you nor I would be here right now, would we?

**Author's Note: **Just a weird thing that popped into my head. It is a series of small sections. Some of them are quite short and some are a little longer. I hope you enjoy it!

The War 

She was breathing hard as her feet pounded on the stone floor. '_Faster, Gin, faster or he'll catch you_,' she thought frantically.

The war was upon them. Voldemort was here, at Hogwarts, and Ginny had spotted him through a window. She would not be his toy again. She would not be used to further a cause that was not her own.

She ran harder, trying not to think about Voldemort, swooping after her. It seemed that he could fly. How was she expecting to escape? '_Very carefully_,' she thought wryly.

"Ginny Weasley," a high nasalvoice called out from behind her. She resisted the urge to scream and continued to run. That monster would not catch her!

Suddenly she was jerked behind a statue and through a wall by a pale hand. She gaped as she fell through the seemingly solid surface.

She turned to thank her rescuer and saw none other than Ferret-Boy, Draco Malfoy.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed at him.

"Saving that pretty arse of yours, Weaslette. Now shut up," he snapped quietly.

The two of them listened in silence for a long time. They glared at each other occasionally but there was nothing else to break the monotony.

It seemed to Ginny that they had been in this tiny closet for an eternity when Draco finally turned to her.

"That was too close, Weaslette. I would have thought that you would have learned _something_ about the secret passage ways in this school from your brothers," he sneered.

The redhead swallowed her pride and said softly, "You would think so. It seems I lost my head. Thank you."

The boy whom she would have thought to be helping Voldemort looked shocked. "What?"

She looked him in the eye. "Thank you for saving me," she repeated.

Draco studied her for a long moment before he nodded. Then he turned and showed her the way out of the little nook they were in. She followed him out and then the two of them reflected onone another, unable to help but think that they may never see the other again.

He nodded to her and turned to walk away. She watched him go, somewhat confused by what he had done for her.

Celebrations 

It was all over and Harry had won. The Order of the Phoenix was now attempting to help him get the crowds away from himself. Harry was even more famous now.

Ginny searched the room, wondering if her rescuer from the previous day was being rounded up with the Death Eaters. She finally found him, huddled in the corner with his parents. All three of them had lost their air of superiority and were looking around them as if they were unsure they should be there.

She glanced over at where her family stood (minus Ron, who was with Harry), looking like all of the events of the war were bittersweet. They had, after all, won this second war and been reconciled with their third son. Alas,they had also lost a son. They were all too distracted to notice Ginny's absence.

She began to drift over to the Malfoys, feeling that she ought to thank Draco again. She hoped it would not cause problems for him with his family. Little did she know that Draco's mother had helped Harry earlier that evening.

She arrived at the small huddle of blonde people and cleared her throat softly to gain their attention. All three of them looked at her with mingled fear and loathing. She took a moment to pity them, with their ideals all clashing to cause that look in their eyes.

Then she spoke. "Thanks for your help, Malfoy. And you," she turned to Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father, "should know that I forgive you for putting that diary in my cauldron that day all those years ago." She then turned to Narcissa, Draco's mother. "I am sorry for your loss. While I must admit that I did not care for your sister, I too have lost a sibling. I'm sorry."

"It was your mother who did it," Lucius said in a terrible cold voice.

Ginny laughed and walked away. He thought he could treat her the same way that he had treated her family for years and she would care? She had said what she had in order to move on.

There were some things that just weren't worth fighting over. You had to choose your battles.

Happenstance 

Ginny was wandering through the school one last time before she graduated. If there was one thing that she wished, it was that Harry, Hermione, and Ron were here now. Ron would be so proud. She hadn't dated anyone in the year since Harry left. That and she was graduating, of course.

After wandering the halls, she headed for the grounds. As she was wandering past the front gates she noticed a familiar blonde head no the other side, staring at the castle with a look akin to longing.

"Malfoy."

"Weaslette."

The two of them looked at each other for a long moment. That was the moment that Ginny had her epiphany.

If Ron and Harry could have heard her thoughts they would have died of mortification. Ginny had just realized how good looking Draco Malfoy was.

He had always been a good-looking boy, but she had never noticed it due to her preoccupation hexing him and generally carrying on the feud that existed between her family and his.

Although, she had never thought that he would have redeeming qualities such as the desire to save her life, either. Perhaps she had misjudged him.

"Do you miss it here?" she asked with a level of compassion that surprised even her. It seemed to surprise him, too, as his eyebrows shot up before jerking his head to say no.

Ginny smiled understandingly at him and said quietly, "I'll see you around, Malfoy."

We Meet Again 

Ginny was calmly strolling through Diagon Alley. It was a lovely spring afternoon and the sun was shining merrily down on her shoulders. She smiled to herself as she saw a little boy pull his exasperated mother into the Magical Menagerie. Spring was by far her favourite season of the year.

She suddenly caught a glance of a white blonde head in front of her. Her eyes widened. It had been nearly a year since she had seen the Malfoy hair. She had not seen Draco since that day at the gates of Hogwarts.

The pretty redhead picked up her pace in order to get a better look at him. As she drew nearer she saw that he was not alone. There was a tall black man beside him who vaguely reminded her of someone from Hogwarts. As she reviewed her memories, the young men in front of her stopped. Caught up in her thoughts as she was, she continued to walk until she drew even with them.

"Look, Draco. It's the little Weaslette," the tall young man with Draco drawled. Ginny looked up when she heard his voice. It had triggered her memory.

"Zabini. Still a stuck-up poser, I see," she drawled back. She looked over at Draco. "Long time, no see."

Malfoy nodded but said nothing. He did, however, stare at Ginny in a manner that she found entirely disconcerting. Zabini was also staring at her in a way that made her skin crawl.

"Zabini, stop your staring," she finally snapped. She glanced at Draco but he was still completely unreadable.

"Still jumpy as usual, I see. I was just admiring a pretty woman, Weaslette. Take it as a compliment."

"And if I don't?" she asked, not trusting him at all.

Zabini stepped forward with an ugly look on his face and looked like he was about to say something rather cruel. He was stopped when the same pale hand that had saved her more than a year ago shot out and grabbed his arm quite tightly.

The young black man turned to stare at his tall blonde friend. A Malfoy,defending a blood traitor?

Draco smirked at his companion. "Don't mess with her, Blaise, or you mess with me."

"Got a thing for blood traitors now, Draco?"

Malfoy's smirk widened. "Not all of them," he said, glancing at Ginny.

Blaise gaped at his companion for one long, undignified moment before sneering at the two of them and stalking away. Ginny and Draco watched him go and then turned to each other.

"You have _got_ to stop getting into situations I have to save you from, Weasley."

"And you have got to stop saving me," she said with a smile.

He studied her for a long moment. It had already become more than uncomfortable when he asked her something she had never expected to hear.

"Want to go have coffee with me, Weasley?" he asked, all of his confidence suddenly gone.

She studied him for a moment before responding with a wide smile. "Sure, Malfoy."

Falling in Love 

In spite of the fact that they had had coffee and a wonderful time together, Ginny never expected to hear from Draco Malfoy again. As a result, she was rather surprised two days later to see a rather large grey owl carrying a letter sealed with the Malfoy family crest.

Enclosed was a parchment that read as follows:

_Ginny,_ (they had agreed to address one another by their given names)

It was wonderful to see you yesterday. I would like to once again apologize for Blaise' behaviour. I am, however, somewhat grateful to him. I would never have been able to speak to you if I had been alone.

I am curious as to whether you would care to go to dinner with me this evening. Nowhere tooformal or anything. Please send your response back with Othello, my owl.

Sincerely,

Draco

She smiled, flipped the parchment over, and grabbed a quill. On the back she quickly jotted:

Draco,

I would love to go to dinner. What say we meet at my place and apparate from there?

So, is this a date? (She drew a smiley face)

See you then,

Ginny

As the afternoon drew to a close, Ginny carefully selected a black knee-length skirt and a soft green cowl-neck top with three quarter length sleeves. No sooner did she have it on when there was a knock at her door.

The redhead smiled and went to open it. Before her was Draco, dressed in black dress pants and button-up shirt. He had let his hair hang into his eyes, giving him a windblown look. He was stunning, as per usual.

She smiled at him and said cheerfully, "Just give me a moment to go and put my make-up on."

Draco reached out and grabbed her hand, as she turned to walk away and murmured, "You don't need make-up."

Ginny smiled at him and asked quietly, albeit mischievously, "You never told me; is this a date?"

He smirked. "Do you want it to be?"

"Maybe," she responded with a smirk that matched his perfectly.

Suddenly they both realized that he still had a hold of her hand. He quickly moved to let go but she held on. Draco met her eyes and smiled. It was a real smile and it was beautiful. He was beautiful.

Ginny smiled and leaned forward to whisper in his ear, "It's a date."

**Dreaming**

Dating Draco for the last year had been brilliant. Ginny thought he was marvellous even now. She smiled fondly, remembering how their parents had reacted.

They had, essentially, fooled their parents. Ginny had invited her parents to dinner to meet her boyfriend and his parents. He had done the same. She still giggled when she recalled the look on her mother's face.

Their fathers had never gotten along and she suspected they never would. Narcissa, Draco's mother, had been shockingly wonderful about it all. It seemed that she and Lucius had made huge and wonderful changes in their lives following the war.

Overall, Ginny believed that their parents had all taken it very well. Now it was a year later and she was excited to see what would happen next.

There was a crack outside her door, signifying that someone had apparated in. She opened her door for Draco with a smile.

"Hey, love. How was work?" she asked as she leaned in for a kiss.

Draco groaned. "Bloody awful. Father decided to purchase another company and then put me in charge of it."

He had been working for his father for the last eight months. Draco rolled his eyes, remembering how challenging those eight months had been.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Ginny asked as she pulled him into her flat.

Draco groaned again. "No. The company fell apart and now I have to start it all over again."

Ginny smiled at his dramatics and pushed him down onto her couch. He was such a princess sometimes, she thought with a giggle.

"I fail to see the humour here, Weaslette. Care to share with the class?" he asked with a smile. She could always make him smile.

Ginny smiled back at the old nickname. "I was just thinking about how dramatic and girly you are sometimes."

"And yet you still love me," he teased. How he loved coming here after a difficult day at work. She could always make him feel better.

His redheaded girlfriend snuggled up next to him on the couch. "Indeed I do," was her simple response.

Draco reached into his pocket but quickly withdrew his hand. He was pleased to note that Ginny was unaware of his actions. It would have ruined the moment that would occur later.

He looked at her again and wondered for the millionth time why he had never dated her at Hogwarts. They would have had many years together already. Of course, if he had his way, which he normally did, they would still be together for years.

**Winning the Girl**

Ginny was smiling widely. Draco had just shown up at her door in dress robes with a dozen pink roses. He had asked her to a formal restaurant for their date. She had a sneaking suspicion she might have a new ring by the end of the night.

Draco fidgeted in the entryway, to Ginny's amusement, while she located a vase for the roses. She idly wondered if he knew that pink roses symbolized friendship.

She gathered up her cloak and headed for the door, noting that Draco was playing with something in his pocket. 'A ring perhaps?' she pondered with a smile.

They apparated to a fancy restaurant in Paris. Ginny immediately understood why Hermione loved this French city of love. It was beautiful.

Draco watched Ginny's face light up as she gazed at the city he had brought her to. He smirked triumphantly as he led her to their table. They sat down and chatted until the waiter came to take their order. Draco ordered in flawless French as Ginny looked on in awe. They chatted amicably until their food arrived. At that point they fell into companionable silence as they ate.

Suddenly Draco froze, looking like he was listening to something. Ginny, listening hard, picked up on a woman's voice.

"I really can't understand why she is here with him. Then again, I never knew why she began to date him either. He was a Death Eater! He tried to kill Albus Dumbledore! Why is a Weasley with him?"

Ginny looked up and spotted the speaker. She rose without looking at Draco. If she had, she would have noticed that he did not want her to embarrass herself with her association with him.

Soon she was standing next to the table where two elegantly clad older women sat. She just stood there for a moment, still digesting what she had heard as her glare progressively intensified.

"May we help you, dear?" asked the one who had spoken earlier. The hurt and enraged young woman levelled her glare on the older woman.

"How dare you talk about Draco that way? How dare you talk about anyone that way? The number of people Draco hurt during the war could be counted on one hand! He is a better person than you will ever be!"

The woman turned rather red and looked ready to argue when Draco came over to get Ginny and leave. The woman turned her attention to him and snapped, "It seems that you have her fooled, Malfoy-" she spat his name like it left a bad taste in her mouth- "but you have not fooled us all! You have quite a champion. It seems you won the girl. Pity. You don't deserve her."

As Draco and Ginny left he could not help but agree that he did not deserve her. It also occurred to him that if he had, in fact, won the girl she would have been his fiancée by now.

**Will You?**

Weeks passed and Ginny found herself sinking into despair. Draco still had not proposed. For that matter, he had barely contacted her at all and when he had he had seemed distracted. It was all so confusing that she was considering ending things. He was barely even talking to her!

She finally received anowl from him. It bothered her that this was the first one in nearly a month. Since then he had simply dropped by unannounced once every week or so.

The depressed witch took the parchment off Othello'sleg. She opened it and was surprised by what she read.

Dearest Ginny,

I am sure that you have noticed my absence lately. I am terribly sorry. You have only to say how I can make it up to you and it will be done.

I miss you. May I come by later this evening?

I love you,

Draco

Ginny gaped at the note. It was so unlike him to grovel and be so emotional. Finally she got her act together and wrote him back, telling him to feel free to come and see her.

When Draco arrived later he seemed nervous. He had barely seen in her in nearly a month and was unsure how Ginny would react to him. The question was answered when she nearly flew out of her front door to hug and kiss him.

Draco had to smile at his girlfriend. She drew back and led him into her flat. "I missed you," she whispered in his ear.

He smiled even wider. "I missed you, too. I am sorry I took off like that. I was embarrassed."

She nodded into his chest, not trusting herself to speak. She was so glad that he was back. She smiled slightly and inhaled deeply, taking in the scent that was so uniquely Draco.

Suddenly he drew back and looked at her, gazing into her eyes as if trying to read her very soul. She studied him back, all too happy to take the time to admire him. Merlin, she had nearly forgotten how fantastic he always looked.

Finally Draco spoke. "Gin, I meant to ask you something the night that we went out for dinner. I never did because I thought perhaps that woman was right and-"

"That's ridiculous! She was just a bitter old cow!" Ginny interrupted indignantly.

Draco smiled slightly. "You really are too good for me, Gin, but I know you love me so-" he dropped onto one knee and she nearly fainted with happiness- "will you be my wife?"

She squealed happily and nearly jumped up and down in ecstasy. "YES!"

Draco smiled broadly and rose, grabbing her around the waist and swinging her around in circles before setting her down and kissing her deeply. The next order of business also had him nervous. What if she did not like it?

"There's something else. My family has a tradition of not using engagement rings. I can get you one if you prefer, but we have the Malfoy bridal jewels that you can wear if you like." He drew the jewellery box out of his pocket, where it had been hidden for months.

Ginny took one look at the exquisite emeralds set in the platinum pendant. They were large and glittered in the light of her flat. There were matching teardrop earrings just begging to be put into her ears.

"Oh, Draco. I love them!" she said in awe. He smiled with mingled relief and amusement. She was forever forgetting his wealth. Soon it would be her wealth, too. He was willing to wager that she would forget about that… if she had not already, that is.

He kissed Ginny again before doing up the clasp on the necklace for her as she put the earrings on. Her flaming red hair and sparkling cinnamon eyes set off the jewels beautifully. She was a sight to behold.

His fiancée was beautiful.

**Driving Her Crazy**

Wedding planning had been everything she had hoped for until nearly every member of the Order felt the need to offer her well-meant advice. She did not mind it when it came from her mother or some of the other married members, but when the advice came from someone so determinedly single it was a hard pill to swallow.

Professor McGonagall, for one, was a wonderful woman whom Ginny admired greatly but the woman had been single longer that memory went back. Not a single living person could recall the woman being in any kind of intimate relationship with a man. Ginny shuddered at the very thought.

McGonagall pulled Ginny aside and whispered, "Do you know how to keep him happy, Miss Weasley?"

Aforementioned Miss Weasley was mortified and turned a brilliant shade of red. She was, thankfully, rescued by Draco coming and asking her something about the wedding that she was forced to give a long and drawn out answer to.

She had to admit (with a great deal of guilt) that she was rather happy that Mad Eye Moody was dead. His advice would have been beyond Ginny's coping methods.

Draco seemed to not be getting any advice. She could not help but think it horribly unfair. Ah well. That was how it worked, right?

Meanwhile, the actual wedding day preparations were going well. Or at least, they had been until Phlegm- er, Fleur- arrived with all of her wonderful French fashion sense and well-meaning marital advice to boot. The young bride-to-be was about ready to kill the other woman.

It was really quite amazing, Ginny thought, how amazing her mother was being. There had been no duress involved in any of the arrangement thus far. That must have been some kind of record for Molly Weasley, who, while kind, could be rather formidable.

Ginny looked over at Draco again and reminded herself why she had not killed someone yet. She would have been put in Azkaban for it and then she would have to miss her own wedding. Then all of the insanity would have been for nothing.

**I Will**

Draco was terrified. There was no other way to say it. He could see Potter and Weasley laughing at him from their places as his groomsmen. He had invited Blaise but the young man had refused based on the blood traitor status of her entire family. He had, however, pointed out that "the littlest Weasel" was a better choice than Granger would have been.

He found himself craning his neck again, looking for any sign of Ginny and her bridesmaids. She had refused to tell him who they were and he was curious. He figured it was safe to assume that Grangerwould be among them, but who else? She had to have one other bridesmaid to go with his second groomsman.

Suddenly the music began. He looked up to watch the women walk in. Sure enough, there was Granger in a bronze dress. 'Not bad, I suppose,' he admitted to himself. When all of that hair was tied up and out of her face she was almost respectable.

The woman who followed Granger was the shocker. There, dressed in a matching bronze dress was Pansy Parkinson.

That was the stunner. Draco could not help but stare in amazement. Where in the name of Merlin had she come from? Pansy smirked and waved mischievously at him.

Then there was the bride. She was absolutely stunning in her off-white gown with a sweetheart neckline and off the shoulder straps. Her long red hair was swept back into an elegant bun, and the wavy tendrils hanging down made her appear more beautiful than anything Draco had ever seen in his life. His attention was lost to everything but the lovely enchantress before him. He even nearly missed his vows.

**Remind Me Again**

"Remind me again why we have to go to Pansy's for dinner," Draco whined.

Ginny Malfoy rolled her eyes at her husband. "Because you promised them we would."

He scowled darkly at her for reminding him that it was his fault. She smiled prettily and put on the Malfoy bridal jewels. Her auburn hair was tied back elegantly and her black cocktail dress made her look nice and slender. She eyed herself critically, looking for signs of change in her.

Her sense of style had changed to accommodate her wealth, but she was still slender and built like a quiddich player. She smiled at her reflection before redirecting it to Draco's image. He had been watching her as she surveyed herself. A year later and she was as stunning as the day he had married her.

As was his custom of late, Draco pondered how different their lives would have been if he had left her in the hands of Voldemort. He probably would have married the woman they were about to go and see.

Pansy was no longer a Parkinson. She had married Blaise Zabini, who was forced to spend time with Ginny because she was Pansy's friend. Planning Ginny and Draco's wedding had caused a great many changes to the way their generation thought of things.

"What are you thinking?" Ginny asked softly after watching his emotions flit across his face.

He got off the bed and walked over to place his hands on her shoulders, looking at her face in the mirror. "I was thinking about how different my life would be if I had not saved your life that day."

Ginny smiled. "Not having second thoughts all these years later, are you?" she teased.

Draco put on his best scowl. "Of course I am! You're making me go out to see Parkinson!" he teased back.

His wife smirked. "Making you go and see Zabini, you mean?"

He rolled his eyes. "They've only been married two months. It's still odd that she is married to Blaise. Everyone always thought she and I would marry." He looked pensive.

Ginny looked nervous. "Do you wish things were different?"

He looked truly affronted. "Mrs. Malfoy, I cannot believe you even see the need to ask me that! Of course I don't!"

Ginny smiled dazzlingly at him and he shook his head at her. How she could even think that was beyond him.

**Big News**

Ginny was smiling as she walked into the manor from the back garden. She was looking for Draco, as she had some rather big news.

She searched the entire house and found neither hide nor hair of the man. Her smile evaporated and she growled.

"Mimsy," she called out.

A house elf appeared in front of her and bowed low. "Yes, Mistress?"

"Where is Draco?"

The elf cowered slightly. The mistress had been very on edge lately. "Master told Mimsy he would be at the Zabinis', Mistress."

Ginny forced a smile when she saw the elf's obvious fear of her and said in a forced calm, "Could you go and fetch him, please, Mimsy? I need to speak with him. It is rather urgent."

Mimsy smiled eagerly at the prospect of work. "Yes, Mistress," she said and the disappeared with a pop.

Draco arrived mere moments later by floo. He took one look at the pale, angry face of his wife and backed up a few steps. She had been very irritable lately. He wondered if it was because she was putting on weight.

"You needed to speak to me? Mimsy said it was urgent," he said somewhat nervously before biting his tongue to stop himself from babbling.

"Where were you?" his irate wife snapped, already knowing the answer. "The doctor told me what is going on and I can't even find my 'devoted' husband!"

Draco stood quietly, knowing that anything he said could and would be held against him.

Ginny finally managed to control herself and look at her husband calmly. "I'm pregnant," she said bluntly.

There was a moment of quiet as Draco let the information sink in. He was going to be a father! He whooped loudly and Ginny smirked. He was usually so dignified.

"Are you going to be alright?" she asked teasingly.

He simply whooped again, scooping her up and spinning her around once before sitting her down abruptly and staring at her.

"What?" she asked, thinking that she did not like the look on his face.

Without a word, he took her arm and led her to the parlour, where he forced her to sit down. He summoned Mimsy and had her bring mineral water. Ginny sighed.

It was going to be a long nine months.

**Celina Narcissa**

"ARGH!" Ginny screamed.

TheSt. Mungo's staff were buzzing around her as she gave the final push. Mere moments later she was holding her daughter in her arms looking up at Draco with a tired smile. He smiled back.

"What are we going to name her?" Draco asked softly.

Ginny's smile widened. "Celina Narcissa, of course."

Draco felt a suspicious lump in his throat. He had received many gifts growing up as the only child of an extremely wealthy couple. Even still, he had never gotten a gift like this.

He looked down at the little blonde princess in his wife's arms and smiled softly. He determined right then and there to be good to his little girl.

**Discovering Magic**

Draco smiled indulgently at his precocious seven-year-old daughter. She smiled back and then reached her arms up to him.

"Daddy, can I have a piggy back ride?" she asked sweetly.

Her content father's smile broadened as he agreed. He swung Celina up on his back and grunted. "You get bigger every day, sweetheart. Soon we're going to have to stop this or my back will be wrecked!"

She giggled and gently pulled her father's hair. He yelped and told her she was going to make him bald. They laughed together as they headed inside to find Ginny.

**Hogwarts**

"Mum, I don't want to go," Celina whispered in Ginny's ear. Her mother smiled patiently at her as they went over this for the millionth time.

"I can send you an owl every day if you like, and you can write me every day, too. You'll make many friends in school, who will help you forget how lonely you are."

The tall, somewhat gawky blonde girl studied her mother seriously. Finally she nodded and gave her mother a hug. Ginny held her girl tightly. After all, she would not see her again until theChristmas holidays!

Celina turned to her father and managed a nervous smile. She was such a daddy's girl. Her white blonde hair flew out behind her as she launched herself at him. She barely managed to tear herself away in time to catch the train.

Once aboard, she waved at her parents through a window until she could no longer see them. She sighed. It was going to be a long year.

No sooner had she finished this thought when a boy with short curly brown hair strutted into her compartment. He took one look at all of her freckles and announced, "You must be related to the Weasleys."

"I am," she said coldly, raising her chin in the air. She certainly had her mother's spunk.

"They're all a bunch of blood traitors," he snapped.

"And I suppose the Malfoys are, too?" She, like her father, had no problems bringing out the well-known name of her forefathers.

The boy smirked. "He married a Weasley, right?"

Celina merely raised her eyebrows and asked, "And you are?"

"Terrence Flint," he said proudly, his own chin lifting.

She snorted indelicately. "Now there's something to be proud of: being the son of the tomboy and the quiddich captain with no brains. My father's told me lots about them," she mocked.

Flint scowled. "This isn't over, Malfoy," he snapped before turning on his heel and leaving.

**The Sorting**

Celina was lined up against the wall in the Great Hall. She turned to look at all of the other first years lined up with her and saw that they all looked nervous. Even Flint looked uncomfortable. That was certainly enough to make Celina smile. She just hoped that they did not end up in the same house.

When he was called up, she watched as the hat sat on his head for only seconds before calling out that he was a Slytherin. No one was surprised. With parents like his, it would have been an eighth world wonder if he had been anything else.

Celina found herself desperately wishing to be in either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. 'Sorry, Dad.'

When it was finally her turn, she crept up to the sorting hat and sat on the stool. The hat was placed on her head and the fight to be in a house of her choice began.

"Hmm… Another Malfoy. You would do well in Slytherin like your father. You are cunning and try to better yourself even at the expense of others."

'Anything but Slytherin,' Celina thought frantically.

"Not Slytherin, eh? You also have great courage. You stick up for what you believe in without stopping to think about the consequences. Are you sure you do not wish to be in Slytherin?"

'Not Slytherin, not Slytherin,' she continued to think frantically.

"Gryffindor!" the hat called out. Celina sighed in relief. She was not in the same house as Flint.

**The Trouble With Slytherins Is…**

"The trouble with Slytherins," said Celina's friend, Martin Longbottom, "is that they are entirely stuck up. They think that the sun rises and sets on their butts. I think it might be that the Nargles ate the part of their mind that reminds them that it does not."

Celina smiled knowingly at her friend. He was so like his mother. He was clever like his mother and brave like his father. He was, however, inflicted with his mother's strange beliefs.

"Oh definitely," she agreed with an emphatic nod. Little did he realise that she was speaking more of his assessment of the Slytherin view of themselves than his comment about Nargles.

An entirely too familiar voice drawled, "I resent that, Malfoy."

She whirled around, her bright blonde hair swinging out behind her. "No one asked you, Flint. Go piss in a corner."

A brown eyebrow rose. "Clever of you. Think I might resent that, too, actually."

Celina smirked at him and then calmly turned and flounced away. Terrence scowled. She had to be the most annoying girl he had ever met.

When the blonde girl reached the common room, she wrote toher mother (her father would have flipped his lid at her having 'boy problems' at age eleven) about what had happened with Flint. She was seething at him.

Terrence Flint was the most obnoxious git she had ever met. He was good looking, she supposed, but he was cold and hard. He insulted her every chance he got and she often found herself wanting to hex him.

Little did she know that her mother would see this and the wheels in her head would begin to turn. There were so many parallels between Ginny and her husband and Celina and this Flint boy. Obviously, she would not tell Draco.

**At The Ball**

Professor McGonagall had seemingly decided that it would be a good idea to give years four to seven a ball in memory of Professor Dumbledore. Everyone was talking about it.

Everyone, that is, except one Celina Malfoy, who had decided not to go. The ball was that evening and no one had asked her to be their date. She had decided against going alone, despite opposing advice from both of her parents and Martin, who had been asked by a Hufflepuff girl.

As all of the girls ran about the dorm getting ready, Celina headed to the library to check out a book before Madam Pince closed the library down for the night. She walked in and began to scan the shelves, looking for something that could hold her interest.

She bypassed the Herbology and Transfiguration sections altogether and moved on to the Muggle Studies section, which was, humorously enough, right beside the Dark Arts section. As she scanned through it, she began to talk to herself.

"Muggles of the Twenty-first Century? No. Too boring. Perhaps Muggle Psychology?" She flipped it open. Too many big words that she did not understand.

Finally, at the end of the row, she found a copy of Famous Muggles and What They Did. She pulled it from the shelf and flipped through it quickly. It looked interesting enough. She began to move towards the counter to sign it out when she heard a familiar voice coming from the Dark Art aisle beside her.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy? No one asked you to the ball?" he sneered.

Celina turned and sneered back at Flint. "Didn't have the nerve to ask someone?"

He scowled. "She said no," he finally admitted begrudgingly. "Where are you going?" he suddenly asked almost desperately.

His change of tone did not go unnoticed. Celina's eyebrows rose as she contemplated him in silence. The pregnant pause was clearly more than he could handle and he said in a falsely brave voice, "Not that it matters, of course. I have places to be."

Suddenly, the blonde girl found it in her to feel sorry for him. The fourteen year-old boy was clearly not looking forward to some alone time.

"I was going to go read in the Room of Requirement," she said quietly, referring to the room her mother had told her about.

"The what?" he asked curiously.

"There's a room on the seventh floor that… well, it would be easier to just show you."

With that, she led him to the Room of Requirement. They spent the evening reading in companionable silence, broken only by the sounds of the crackling fire and their steady breathing.

**What's Wrong With Me??**

"Mum, what's wrong with me? Do I have some sort of disease or something?" an unhappy seventeen-year-oldCelina wailed to her mother.

Ginny smiled. They had been through this several times that day. Terrence Flint had sent his friend of the last three years a Christmas present and Celina was concerned.

"There is nothing wrong with you, dearest. It is natural to feel that way about boys."

"But mum, I've never felt like I was falling madly in love with any other boy!" Celina continued to wail.

"Celina, he sent you a Christmas present. He does that every year. What's so different about this year?" Ginny asked patiently.

"That I like him! I never liked him like this before. Mum, what kind of girl falls for her worst enemy?" theteenager asked morosely as she banged her head against the table in front of her.

Ginny smiled softly. "I did."

Her daughter looked up. "Daddy?" she asked curiously.

"Yes. The Malfoys and the Weasleys hated each other until your father saved my life during the war." Ginny's eyes glazed over as she remembered. "I thanked him for saving my life.The next time I saw him was the next school year, when he was standing outside Hogwarts' gates. We talked briefly. After that we went out for coffee once, a year later,and began to date. Our families got over it with time." She looked at her daughter. "I've met Terrence. He seems like a nice boy."

"He is, mum. Too nice."

**Did You Just Ask Me Out?**

Terrence sauntered over to where Celina was sitting and smiled down at her as she read. She finished her paragraph and looked up at him, carefully marking her place in the book.

"Can I help you?" she asked with a smile.

He plopped down on the couch beside her and dramatically flopped his head on her shoulder. "Quiddich practice was so hard," he whined.

The pretty blonde girl looked at the young man leaning on her shoulder and smiled. "Be a little more dramatic, Terrence, I don't think you quite mastered the puppy dog eyes and the pout. You nailed the whine, though."

Terrence stuck his tongue out at her and the two laughed.

Suddenly he fell silent. She looked at him questioningly.

"Celina, will you go to Hogsmead with me next weekend?"

She gaped at him; a full gape with the jaw dropping and everything. He looked even more nervous.

"Did you just ask me out?" she asked, stunned.

"Yes. I mean, you can say no if you want to or if you had other plans. I just wanted to know…" he trailed off, no longer able to look the beautiful blonde in the eye.

She suddenly smiled widely. "Of course I'll go with you!" she squealed happily.

Now it was Terrence's turn to gape. "Did you just squeal?"

She just smirked before looking out the window. Suddenly she whispered, "It came in a full circle."

"What did?" he asked in confusion.

Celina turned away from the window and began to tell him a romantic tale of two enemies who met up in the war, fell in love, and married. He too saw the connection.


End file.
